For example, with a recording/playback device, a video camera, or the like, various media are employed, such as a hard disk, a disc-type medium such as DVD or Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), flash memory, and so forth.
In the event of performing data recording/playback employing media, a recording/playback application to be executed at a device performs data recording/playback processing in accordance with a format stipulated beforehand. For example, examples of the standard of a recording/playback format of high-definition Hi-Vision video include the AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) standard, and BD (Blu-ray Disc) standard. Note that examples of descriptions regarding the AVCHD standard include PTL 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-5294) and PTL 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-5295). Also, examples of descriptions regarding the BD standard include PTL 3 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-179671).
With the AVCHD standard and BD standard, a data format serving as an allowable object of recording processing or playback processing is stipulated. For example, in the event of performing recording/playback of an HD (High Definition) image, recording/playback of data in a predetermined format is performed, such as 1080/60i, 1080/50i, or the like. Note that [1080/60i] indicates that recording/playback of 1080 lines is performed with an HD (High Definition) image of 1920×1080 pixels as 60 field images per one second using the interlace method. [i] indicates the interlace method. Incidentally, the progressive method is indicated with [p].
The current Hi-Vision data is stipulated as an image of 1920×1080 pixels, but further, there has been developed a device which performs recording and playback of an image of around 4000×2000 pixels (=4K×2K) as a high-definition image. Also, development of various devices has been performed, such as a device which performs [1080/60p] for performing recording/playback by the progressive method different from the above-mentioned interlace method, or a device for performing recording/playback of an image for the right eye and an image for the left eye for a 3D image that is a three-dimensional stereoscopic image.
However, with the AVCHD standard and BD standard, a 4K×2K image, 1080/60p, and 3D image data are not allowed as recording/playback data. Accordingly, this leads to a problem wherein even if a 4K×2K ultra-high-definition image is generated as recorded data, data recording to which the existing AVCHD standard or BD standard has been applied may not be performed.
As one solution to solve this problem, it can be conceived to define a new standard for recording various images such as a [4K×2K] image, [1080/60p], [3D] imager, and further [1080/60i] that is the current high-definition image, and so forth. However, in the event that such a new standard has been defined, this causes a problem wherein an existing device which performs data recording and playback in accordance with the existing AVCHD standard or BD standard may not be used.